Who’s Missing From the Official Aston Villa Team Photo? In Lambert We Trust.

It’s seems they’ll be no olive branch issued by Paul Lambert to a couple of previously senior Aston Villa players. Richard Dunne made it off the treatment table to join the picture, but two fellow members of last season’s back-four unit – Alan Hutton and Stephen Warnock are clearly AWOL.

The zero tolerance tactic by Paul Lambert is an interesting one. While it may make it harder to secure a decent price with other club’s for the player’s sales, since it’s evident Villa don’t want them, it terms of the discipline of the rest of the team, it sets the stall out nicely. You’re either a member of the team, or out. No messing.

Also, with Brad Guzan standing in the central spot of Villa’s three goalkeepers, it seems clearly that Lambert knows who his number one is.

It has to be said the only absent Villa player we do miss from this team picture is one Stan Petrov. Keep fighting captain.